Cape Town is the city of cold surf, rugged mountains, raw creativity and thus, not surprisingly, Nate Maingard. A self-taught musician, Nate has been playing the guitar for over ten years, from teenage gigs around the mother city to busking his way through the UK. Deciding between making a living from his handmade real chocolate or his songs, Nate has chosen 2009 as his year for making music his profession. But either way, Nate Maingard is the new addiction.
In a small village on the Atlantic side of the Cape Peninsula, Nate grew up in his dad's guitar-making workshop. Maingard Guitars being some of the best in the world, he learnt from an early age the origins of good music- from the best wood to use when making an acoustic guitar, to the sounds of Cat Stevens and The Beatles. But since those early days of saw-dust, Nate has made his very own instrument and sound to go with it. His voice has been compared to Radiohead's Thom Yorke, while his easy style and likable tunes brings the likes of Jack Johnson to mind.
Nate has performed at Up The Creek, as well as the Barleycorn Music Festival, while his gigs in and around Cape Town are popular. His stage energy and presence are honest and real, although he has been known to disappoint fans at a daytime gig. When asked for another song, he smiled and declared, 'I'm sorry, but the waves in Scarbs are cooking, I'm going to get barreled'! This is easily forgiven when one hears the inspiration nature brings to his songs- from 'All I need's a patch of sunlight from which to watch the world go by' in Cat's got Time, to 'I hold onto my love like a sailor holds his breath in the last moment of life' in Just like You.
His songs vary from indie-folk to soft rock, while his original lyrics make his music unique and catchy. 'The Wild Land' is a richly textured song about that place in all of us, where civilisations' shoulds and should-nots have no place, a place where 'sex still breathes'.
About his lyrics Nate claims: 'sometimes I stand in front of a room full of people, sharing what a song is about and I hear myself saying things I didn't know before, it's as if I write the songs and find out only later what they're saying'. His words are powerful and passionate, often with an honesty that forces the listener to take their guard down, and then the strength of his music hits you right in the stomach.
Nate is at present preparing for his debut album to be recorded, while working on new songs, collaborating with other musicians, making chocolate and surfing as much as he possibly can.